Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, as the new representative of the Progressive Senate Group, I am pleased to join the other leaders in welcoming Senator Manuelle Oudar. What is more, the first welcome I am extending in this new position is to a colleague with a remarkable career in my province’s public service.
An accomplished jurist, she held legal affairs management positions at various Quebec ministries, including the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Family, the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport, and the Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women. In Quebec, we like ministries with long names. Over the years, she also demonstrated management skills that earned her positions such as Assistant Deputy Minister of Networks at the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport and Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Labour.
In 2016, she became the president and CEO of the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec. She then oversaw its merger with two other commissions, when it became the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, or CNESST, an organization made up of about 5,000 people.
In 2022, CNESST received a United Nations award for its efforts in favour of gender equality, economic justice, equity in the labour market, empowering women and reducing inequality and wage gaps.
It’s no surprise, then, that last year our colleague was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal, in the public service sector. I should also point out that our colleague is an accredited mediator, which is likely to prove a very useful quality when it comes to building consensus in committee.
On a personal note, she is also the co-CEO of a family of seven children, along with Pierre Reid, who is here with us today and who is also a Quebec lawyer and senior civil servant.
In conclusion, our new colleague brings a wealth of experience that we will soon have the opportunity to share.
Welcome, Senator Oudar, to your new home — the upper house of Parliament — where you will work for the well-being of Canadians along with talented colleagues representing the rich diversity of our country.
Welcome, senator.